ABSTRACT
Political criteria are generally more important than military criteria in shaping force structures (at least on the NATO side), but the two force structures are hopelessly asymmetrical and offer no natural parity, and the political messages that they convey are extremely complex. This unpromising picture has been made worse by the artificial nature of the INF category, which is illustrated by the fact that there is little agreement even with NATO as to its boundaries. For the Kremlin, though, the main problem with the US proposal was that it cut Soviet Far Eastern deployments (only a freeze had been offered) and provided no compensation for the 160 British and French missiles. Politically British governments have always been positive about arms control, and have even justified the national nuclear deterrent on the grounds that it provides a voice in great power negotiations a ticket to the top table.
